The Rock reveals who came up with the word 'SmackDown'

Former WWE Champion Dwayne The Rock Johnson
Former WWE Champion Dwayne The Rock Johnson

The Rock recently took to Twitter to speak about who came up with the word 'smackdown.'

In the early days of the blue brand's establishment, The People's Champion called it "his show" because of its similarities with his catchphrase "Layeth the Smack Down." SmackDown aired its first show in April 1999 with Triple H and The Rock main eventing the episode. Shawn Michaels acted as the special guest referee

In a recent tweet, WWE asked fans which superstar reminded them most of the throwback SmackDown logo. The former world champion then replied, claiming that the superstar was obviously the one after whom the show was named, hinting at himself.

He stated in the same tweet that the word 'smackdown' was originally used by Downtown Bruno (Harvey Whippleman) and that Bruno is the one responsible for making the word a part of the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

"Easy answer. C’mon @WWE. The superstar who this show was named after. The superstar responsible for “Smackdown” officially becoming a word in the @MerriamWebster dictionary. And that superstar is…Harvey Whippleman aka Downtown Bruno! 😉👊🏽 #ifyasmell," tweeted the Brahma Bull.

Check out his tweet below:


The Rock drops a hint at a possible dream match for WrestleMania

In a recent episode of Young Rock, a show that follows the early days of WWE Superstar The Rock, a match against Roman Reigns was teased. The show features a scene where an up-and-coming Dwayne Johnson was challenged by a young Joe Anao'i (Roman Reigns) to a match. The Brahma Bull responded by saying that the world isn't ready, and a match of that magnitude could only take place at WrestleMania.

Roman Reigns has also recently expressed his desire to face his cousin in a match during the last episode of WWE Evil.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer also reported on the matter stating that The Rock wants this match to happen as well, but plans keep getting delayed due to multiple reasons.

"So the situation with The Rock is exactly what you’d think. The belief is that Rock wants to do it. They believe that is probably main event, but they are all very aware that there are things that could get in the way and that might not happen, but the working idea is Roman Reigns against Rock for L.A. But, it is not etched in stone by any means. That’s been the plan for months, and months, and months, and nothing has changed. They’re of the opinion that he won’t back out and he really wants it, because time is running out on him," said Dave Meltzer.

For now, this highly-anticipated match only remains a rumor. With the current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion keen on the idea of facing his cousin, it remains to be seen whether the stars can align for this encounter to take place.


Do you think the Brahma Bull and Roman Reigns will take on each other at WrestleMania next year? Let us know in the comments section below.

Quick Links

App download animated image Get the free App now